"It's a tough run right now," coach Guy Boucher said. "It's tough on everybody. If you're not working, you don't deserve anything; that's one thing. But right now, our guys are going to war, they're paying the price and it's just not going in."

As much as the frustration and losses mount, players and coaches alike don't feel like there's a need to reinvent the wheel. Boucher said the short-handed team, missing two of its top six forwards, boasts the same type of work ethic and attitude, while creating the same type of chances it did during its 7-2-1 start.

"I think we've just got to realize that we're playing the right way right now," center Steven Stamkos said. "The challenging part is not changing what we believe in because it's not working. We've got to keep pushing it because we know it's worked in the past and know it's going to work."

It certainly doesn't help when, as Stamkos said, "the bounces aren't going our way."

...

Stamkos said the Lightning, which is in a stretch where it plays 15 of 21 games on the road, has to fight through it and "take as many points as we can."

"If we stick together and not play the 'blame game' and dig deep as a group, we'll be just fine," Ellis said.

"I have no doubt in this team whatsoever."